Gettysburg junior Cami Boehner averaged 8.7 points per game as a sophomore.

Her head coach, Casey Thurston, knew more would be expected heading into Boehner's junior.

"I told her at the end of last season that we were losing 75 percent of our scoring and I kind of felt like she could step up into that scoring role," Thurston said. "I think she flew under the radar a little last year. I just told her, 'we are going to need you to step up at the varsity level.' She put in a ton of time to become a scorer and not just a shooter."

Boehner did not stay under the radar long this year - she averaged 20.8 points per game. She also drained an area-high 74 threes and made 117-of-149 free throws - and earned the title of Evening Sun All-Area Girls' Basketball Player of the Year.

"I did not anticipate having this type of success," Boehner said. "It definitely came as a surprise to me. In the beginning of the season I was just dropping more points than I was the previous season by a decent amount, and I was just as shocked as I think my coach, parents and team were."

Boehner's 74 threes were more than any other team in the Hanover-area except for Delone, and were 30 more than the next closest player.

"Shooting long distance has always been my specialty," Boehner said. "Because of my size, I wasn't always driving to the hoop. I was sort of a spot up shooter and most people knew that, so this season I just tried to expand that and score in other ways.

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Boehner spent the summer working on her game because she knew she would have a larger role after Brianna Thomas graduated.

The junior scored in double digits in 27-of-29 Warrior games.

She topped 20 points 16 times and 30 points three times.

She also set a school record with 41 points against James Buchanan and helped lead the Warriors to their third consecutive Mid-Penn Colonial Division title.

"I knew that I had to do what I could to prepare myself for the next season," she said. "I did workouts with my dad. I went to open gyms, ran, lifted and did anything I could to get ready for the season. I tried to expand my game as much as I could put more time into shooting and in just trying to make myself better."

Even though Thurston had high expectations of Boehner heading into the season, she was not sure if they would come to fruition due in large part to a broken middle finger on her shooting hand that prevented her from playing in any of the Warriors' preseason games.

"We looked beyond bad in those two scrimmage games," Thurston said. "Cami wasn't allowed to do anything in practice, so come our first game, we put her in and said 'Let's see what you got.'

"I think the rest of the team was looking for someone to score ... and it ended up being Cami. That first game, she had 15 or 16 and the next night she had 15 or 16 and she kind of took off."

Boehner said her performance surprised her early on.

"It definitely made me more confident and it made me realize that I could fulfill the role that I was going to have to this season. I was just trying to do what I could to help my team."

Boehner went on to score double digits in the Warriors first nine games.

"I think those first games showed me that I could compete at this level," she said. "Coming into the season I was trying to be confident in myself and my team. I had my team to back me up if I was not having a good night. The positive feedback from coach and the team really helped me excel."

Boehner plans on playing AAU ball this summer for the York Thunder in the hope of attracting attention from colleges.

She has heard from Bucknell, Mount St. Mary's, Niagara and Bloomsburg, so far.

Boehner hopes colleges take notice of her skills just like Thurston did.

"I think she has naturally good form and a good shot," Thurston said. "I made comments to the younger kids for them to watch her. It doesn't matter if she is taking a two-foot jumper or a 20-foot jumper. Every shot is the same for her. She will shoot it at game speed and the same way every time. She will always have her feet set. That comes from putting a lot of time in that shot. She is special."